Valerie Jarrett Responds to Roseanne Cancellation: ‘We Have to Turn It Into a Teaching Moment’

Valerie Jarrett, a former aide to Barack Obama, says ABC made the right decision in canceling its hit revival of Roseanne following a racist Twitter rant against her by its star, Roseanne Barr.

In the tweet, which has since been deleted, the comedian specifically said, "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." According to NBC News, the tweet was in reference to an online claim that Obama's CIA spied on French presidential candidates. Barr's tweet was also reportedly in response to another Twitter user, who claimed Jarrett helped Obama "hide a lot."

In an MSNBC town hall taped hours later titled “Everyday Racism in America,” Jarrett said that she's doing fine emotionally but that the event should be turned into a teachable moment for the country.

“First of all, I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment,” Jarrett said. “I’m fine. I’m worried about all the people out there who don’t have a circle of friends and followers coming to their defense.”

Jarrett further added, "The tone does start at the top, and we like to look up to our President and feel as though he reflects the values of our country. But I also think every individual citizen has a responsibility too, and it's up to all of us to push back. Our government is only going to be as good as we make it be."

According to Jarrett, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, personally called her before going public with the news of the show's cancellation to assure her that Barr's behavior and language would not be tolerated.

“He wanted me to know before he made it public that he was canceling the show,” she said, noting that Iger added there was "zero tolerance" for that behavior at ABC.

Earlier in the day Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, wrote in a brief statement, "Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Viacom has also pulled reruns of the show from Paramount Network, TV Land, and CMT. Hulu has also followed suit and pulled the show from its platform.

Members of the show's cast and crew also quickly took to social media to share how disgusted and disappointed they were with Barr's actions.

Sara Gilbert, a producer and actress on the show, wrote on Twitter that Barr's comments are "abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show." Emma Kenney, who played Darlene's daughter on the show, wrote on Twitter, "I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable." And Danny Zucker, who was a writer during the first iteration of Roseanne, wrote, "I wrote on the original 'Roseanne' where we used to denounce nativism, racism & homophobia. Nauseating to see what she's become. Looking forward to continue not watching this show."